Dementia Village Emerges in the Netherlands

[ABSTRACT]

A small town in the Netherlands has developed a very unique approach to care for people with dementia. In 2009, private developers collaborated with the Dutch government to build a small village solely for residents with advanced dementia.

The village is called Hogewey. Built on 4 acres of land, the village consists of 23 houses, a supermarket, café, pub, beauty salon and a small theater. There are 152 residents in the village who are supported by 240 caregivers. The caregivers do not wear uniforms and look as though they too are residents of the village. The village draws on volunteer help as well as professional caregivers to support the residents of the town.

The 23 houses have different lifestyle themes, such as urban, crafts, culture, and religion. The color schemes, furniture, and interior design all reflect the theme of a given house. The idea is to place residents in the setting that most closely resembles what they’ve known all their lives.

For the full blog post and the CNN video coverage visit: http://whiteoakcottages.com/a-dementia-village-model-emerges/